A review of the recent and some older pertinent literature relative to lead poisoning in childhood is presented. Forty-five cases of lead poisoning from the author's experience are described. All were treated with intravenous or intramuscular administration of edathamil during the acute stages. Oral administration of edathamil produced no shortening of the prolonged period of coproporphyrinuria following the cessation of intravenous use of edathamil. In the acute stage, oral use of edathamil was less efficient than intravenous or intramuscular administration in returning the aberrant porphyrin metabolism toward normal. The selective effect of intravenous use of edathamil on the urinary excretion of coproporphyrin as opposed to the relatively slight effect on erythrocyte porphyrins confirms the notion that lead interferes with porphyrin metabolism at several physiologically distinct points; and that the hematopoietic marrow is not freed of lead by edathamil. Edathamil given orally in the presence of lead in the intestinal tract is a very dangerous drug, and there is a hint that administration of even intravenous edathamil may promote lead absorption from the intestinal tract and its transport to the brain. Therefore, emptying the intestinal tract by enemata may be an important preliminary to treatment. Dehydration by severe catharsis would be undesirable. With adequate treatment, half or more of the victims of lead poisoning should be returned to competitive life. Those persistently damaged intellectually suffer from acute encephalopathy and have often been re-exposed to lead after treatment of the acute disease.